The Rearranger

Template:PuzzleInfobox The Rearranger is the gold puzzle in the Lost Marshes area of The Talos Principle 2.

Overview

On entering this puzzle, you see three swappers to the side, and several rooms, each blocked off by a plasma door with a receiver near each that disables it. To begin with, there is only a detached fan in the main room, but as you unlock more rooms, you get more equipment.

Hints

A basic hint:

[ hint ]

The name of the puzzle, Rearranger suggests that throughout the puzzle you will have to move around the connectors and inverters quite a bit, as is appropriate for that stage of the puzzle.

If you're having trouble getting started:

[ hint ]

Grab the connector from the first room. Then, notice that in the second room there are two pieces of equipment within easy reach.

If you're wondering if some puzzle equipment is useful or not:

[ hint ]

The detached fan elements are completely useless, immediately put them on a swapper and never take them out again. One of the two hexahedrons still has a use.

If you've opened three gates but can't figure out how to make progress:

[ hint ]

Understand that if you can get enough equipment into the third room (the one that opens with a red receiver), and you have access to a energy beam, a connector, and a inverter inside that room, then you can solve the puzzle even if the door closes behind you.

If you've figured out roughly where to position the equipment, but can't relocate them inside the room:

[ hint ]

Bring the driller with you inside the third room. Position the hole close to the edge of the door. Keep all your equipment close to the hole so that you can reposition them from either side of the hole.

Solution

[ solution ]

• 
  Take the Fan and swap it for the Connector. Connect the blue Emitter to the blue Receiver and place it down on the Pressure Plate.
• 
  Take the Driller, swap it for the Hexahedron. Use the Hexahedron to take the Connector (you can reach it without jumping over the fence)
• 
  Swap the Connector for the Inverter, and use it to open the second Plasma Door.
• 
  Take the Hexahedron. Place it on the Pressure Plate, and place the Connector as far back as possible, so that it is visible from the second Plasma Door and through the bronze wall.
• 
  Swap the second Hexahedron for the Connector, and use it to open the third Plasma Door.
• 
  Take the Fan and swap it for the Driller. Drill the bronze wall on its left side.
• 
  Reposition the second Connector so that the beam goes through the Driller hole.
• 
  Reposition the Inverter so that it is next to the Driller hole.
• 
  Grab the Inverter from the other side of the wall. Connect it to the blue Connector and red Receiver and finish the puzzle.

Story

On solving this puzzle, we are rewarded with some spoken dialog

I could not accept that my daughter was gone. Her body was destroyed ... obliterated. But we're more than just a body. We're a pattern. A melody in ones and zeros. And I was convinced that somewhere, somehow, that melody still existed. I just couldn't believe that it didn't. I refused to.
That thought consumed me. In some ways it broke me. But I didn't give up. Not every obsession has to be fought, you know. The easy way isn't always the right one.

—Cornelius (3)